Coliseum, 1929

The Coliseum Building, on Elgin between 5th and 6th in 1929, looking southwest from the northeast corner. The Coliseum was the venue of ice hockey, Monday night wrestling, and other local events. Many local high schools used the building for their graduations. Sam Avey owned this building, as well as the Tulsa Ice Oilers and the local wrestling league. There was no chain link fence surrounding the rink, so spectators had to be careful of flying pucks and players. The stadium held approximately 7,500 people. The building was destroyed in the 1952 fire, which was the first fire shown live on television, from a camera on the roof of Channel 6. You can see the streetcar line running down Elgin.

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Preservation and archiving of this significant Tulsa treasure of photographs and artifacts was made possible through the Tulsa City-County Library and the Tulsa Historical Society, and the generosity of Tulsa World/Lorton Family, Chester Cadieux, the Rotary Club of Tulsa, and many other community-minded corporations, institutions, and individuals.